Mr. Speaker, December 6 is the day that should forever be remembered by all Canadians.
It was eight years ago last Saturday that 14 young women lost their lives at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal for no reason other than they were women. All the women massacred were between the ages of 21 and 31, in the prime of their lives.
The government has worked hard to try to protect women from violence. We passed tough gun control legislation, eliminated self-induced intoxication as a defence for violent crimes, strengthened the effectiveness of peace bonds to keep abusers away from women and children, and toughened the Criminal Code to deal with high risk offenders.
It is not a problem that government alone can solve. It is a societal problem. Only when there is an end to discrimination and violence and when there is true equality of opportunity for women in society will women feel safe in their communities.
I call on all Canadians to—